Abstract
This study investigates German news media coverage and PR material of offshore wind stakeholders from industry, politics, science and civil society thoroughly to provide insights about offshore wind benefits and risks communicated frequently and rarely to the public. By comparative analyses, differences between stakeholder and media messages are revealed: while stakeholders strongly focused on the supportive argument relevance of offshore wind for the energy turnaround, the media often discussed the negative impacts higher costs and delays in grid connection. Furthermore, the influence of offshore wind arguments on acceptance is measured within a survey representative of the German population. With these results, it can be assessed how far influential arguments were presented and which messages have been used frequently despite their low impact. Disruptions to viewscapes, limitation of commercial fishing areas, and hazards to shipping proved to be effective arguments to influence offshore wind acceptance – however, they were seldom used.